Cycle Round Up
CYCLE ROUND UP
JOE PARKHURST
CW MOTORCYCLE SHOW
THOUGH COMPLETE DETAILS and a lavish selection of color and black and white photographs are to be seen elsewhere in this issue, I am taking my prerogative again in citing what a tremendous success the CYCLE WORLD Motorcycle Show was. Notables of the motorcycle world from all over the country attended, including Walter Davidson and Bill Davidson Jr. from the Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Milwaukee; Larry Wise from Philadelphia's Cosmopolitan Motors; Pete Colman from BSA Western, Mike Berliner from the Berliner Mtr. Corp. in New Jersey, and many more (as the cliche goes), too numerous to mention.
We planned the event as a combination trade, custom, and general motorcycle show, all three of which it was, and in each category a smashing success, I admit as modestly as I possibly can. Taking as little credit as decorum allows, we owe the fantastic success of the show to many things, most important being the commercial exhibitors who showed virtually every machine available on the U.S. market. So popular is this phase of the exhibit we were forced to reduce the number of custom entries. Clyde Earl, grand impresario of the motorcycle motion picture world again staged the CW movie theatre, showing motorcycle racing movies continuously, one of the most popular features of last year's show too. We apologize to those who were unable to get a seat in the theatre due to the immense popularity of the program; next year we promise a larger theatre and an even better program.
Door prizes galore were handed out, including such beauties as Gilera's 125cc "Golden Gilera"; Harley-Davidson held a drawing for a 50cc M-50, Elite Insurance and Laurentide Finance handed out a free bike, as did several other exhibitors. Indeed, it was a lucky day for many. Crowds were so dense, at one time it was necessary to close the main entrance to allow the jammed aisles to thin out. CW's booth was continually visited by enthusiasts from every corner of the West. One stalwart, Charles Garrett from Kirkland, Washington, rode 1,200 miles to spend one evening at the show, a record we think, at least for our show.
Puritan Pacific Insurance Company's two "Puritans," scantily clad young ladies who dispensed insurance information, were only part of the parade of beauty that even included a Hawaiian and Polynesian dance show every half-hour at Accurate Accessory's booth, or "stage" if you will. Probably the most talked about lady was the mannequin perched on a Vespa scooter, riding a tight wire at the Western Scooter exhibit. Without question, CYCLE WORLD'S second annual motorcycle show was a complete success; attendance was up over 20% from the first event in 1964. We had no sooner closed the door on the last night than we were plotting next year's show and the improvements and additions we felt it needed. It will again be in May, and will be even bigger. We were favored this year with an elaborate section in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner paper one week prior to the show, and almost three quarters of a million people saw motorcycling presented at its finest.
YAMAHA SAFETY-A-GO-GO
One of the cleverest tie-in events staged in the motorcycle industry was put on by Yamaha International in conjunction with the CYCLE WORLD Motorcycle Show. Called the Safety-A-Go-Go, Yamaha invited all the Yamaha riders in metropolitan Los Angeles to a free hotdog and Pepsi dance-fest at their beautiful headquarters in East Los Angeles, culminating with a parade through the streets of Los Angeles to the Sports Arena for the CW show. So smashing was the Go-Go that a group of notables assembled for a luncheon to launch the event that included the Mayor of Montebello, members of the Montebello City Council, a representative from the office of the Mayor of Los Angeles, Samuel Yorty, the Chief of Police of Montebello, a representative of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Supervisor Ernest E. Debs who personally read a proclamation commending motorcycling from the City Council of the City of Los Angeles.
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I have attended many functions where civic and business notables endorsed motorcycling as a wholesome sport, but I have never had such profound a pleasure as that of hearing Mr. Debs read that proclamation describing motorcycling in glowing terms and accepting them on the basis they have always deserved, but rarely received. My personal congratulations to Yamaha's Jim Jingu and K. Kasahara for presenting this marvelous program.
The massive rally of Yamaha riders, nearly 1000 strong, paraded across town following a rousing program of rock and roll, surf music and dancing by the Donny-Brooks. On arrival at the Sports Arena, awards were given out for best dressed participants and a new YDS-3 was given away. The mob then adjourned to the Arena where the gaiety continued to Yamaha's display. Yamaha officials told me this was only the first event of what is to be an annual affair, and like the CYCLE WORLD show, next year it will be even better. If you were not among the many thousands who witnessed that circus-like parade of balloon festooned motorcycles wending their way across town in such neat, colorful and orderly style, better luck next year. Better than that, why not join them?
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Just about the time I begin to feel like most people are accepting the motorcycle for what it is, along comes another bit of adverse publicity to set us back. It was bad enough for those wretched Hell's Angels to receive all of the national publicity they did, but did Vespa have to allow their advertising agency to say; "If you buy a Vespa, your neighbors won't move out of the neighborhood. The Vespa is a motorscooter, not a motorcycle. There is no social stigma attached to driving one."
I realize the copy was composed by some dainty, ethereal and completely outof-touch Madison Avenue advertising copy writer, but this sort of sales technique is not needed to sell such excellent machinery. The ad is currently running in the May issue of Esquire magazine; I hope that is the only place it will appear.
THE SIZE OF IT
When Tabloc Inc. recently offered a chain fixing tool at cost to buyers of their sprockets, the entire 10,000 chain breakers went out with the first deluge of orders. Moral of this story, never underestimate the new size of the motorcycle market.
Now, get ready, Tabloc is bravely offering their new catalog of variously toothed sprockets and other gear free of charge, so write away soon. If it isn't too late, they might still have a handy gear ratiospeed calculator left from their most recent premium offer. Address: 15018 E. Ramona Blvd., CW, Baldwin Park, Cal.
DYE CYCLE TOUR TO MEXICO
Plans for a New Year's tour in Mexico, December 27 to January 9, have been completed by Edison Dye and his MoTours Travel Agency staff. For $250 all-inclusive, motorcycles will be shipped by boat to Acapulco where they will be delivered to their owners who will be flown there. The tour will ride to Mexico City for New Year's night life, then ride back to Acapulco (after a sobering interval no doubt) and fly home. Mexico City is most fun at that season, by the way. For reservations and information write Box 3571, San Diego, California. •
